


Infection

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Needles, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 12:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13271883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: Of all things, Ulaz really didn't think that Keith would be afraid of something so simple. Especially now that he had no choice but to subject him to it.





	Infection

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of a wonderful comment from marmorastars:
> 
> "but what if keith was so, so very sick that he actually needed an injection or something like that. like, it would be a disaster. poor ulaz would have to deal with all of the distressed marmora parents, arguing it's for keith's own good. everyone already knows that, of course, but it doesn't make it any easier to see keith so nervous about it. even after ulaz has finally managed to administer the medicine, everyone is feeling like the worst scum on earth because they swore they would protect keith from everything but they couldn't protect him from one tiny needle in his backside."

"Remember, stay away from the hirduns. They're extremely venomous." Ulaz had said. Of course, with a warning like that, what would Keith do?

Get bitten by one. Of course he would.

And, in complete Keith fashion, he wouldn't notice it until much later, when he was stripping out of his blade suit in preparation for a shower. The grooming was nice and all, but there really was nothing quite like a hot shower after a long day.

When he looked down at his feet, he noticed two little puncture marks just below his knee, as if a vampire had a wildly different target than the traditional neck bite. Now where did those come from? It wasn't like Keith was a stranger to having an odd mark that must have gone unnoticed from training, so he thought nothing of it. After all, if the hirdun had bitten through his suit, he would have felt it, right? It was skin tight.

So, he let the water wash off the sweat and grime of the day, dressing in a pair of pants and a shirt before climbing into the nest he shared with the four Gakra he now considered family. It would be a few hours still before they stopped their daily duties, so he settled himself down, happy with the knowledge that he would wake up surrounded by his family, and fell asleep.

-

When he woke up, he didn't feel the best. No, not the 'I have to stay in bed all day or else I'm going to throw up' type of off, but the 'something just feels off but I'm not going to let it stop my day' type of off. He glanced around at his oack mates, each in different stages of waking up. Kolivan was already awake, trying to wake Antok up, who was dead to the world fir the moment. Thace was just barely awake and Ulaz was still mostly asleep, answering anything with unintelligible mumbles.

He climbed up out of bed and changed into his blade uniform, intent of training a bit more with his blade. It felt better than the bayard did, a weapon that was just right for him. But it did take a bit to adjust to. Kolivan caught his wrist just as he turned to leave.

"Do you really think you're going to train without eating breakfast?" The leader of the blades asked, an eyebrow raised. Keith's shoulders slumped, knowing that there was no way he was going to win this argument. He could do nothing more than sit down and allow Ulaz to place a plate of food in front of him. At least it wasn't food goo. It was actual food, with different flavors and textures. It was a very welcome change.

Keith sighed as he ate. "Can I go train now?" He asked impatiently after he ate. Antok gently ruffled his hair.

"Not until you let it settle. You know you get nauseous if you don't." He said, holding Keith against his chest. Keith grumbled but stayed where he was, batting lightly at Antok's tail out of boredom. Antok always kept it just out of his grasp, keeping him occupied while his food digested a bit.

After about half an hour, Keith and Antok excused themselves to go train. It was a bonding time for them, and it wasn't rare for someone to walk in and find the two in the midst of a very intense play fight. 

As the hours ticked closer to lunch, Keoth started noticing things that he didn't like.

Dizziness. It was probably just that he needed a water break, he was getting dehydrated. That made sense.

Fatigue. He was just tired, he would lay down for a bit after lunch. But that was what kits did, and he didn't need naps, did he?

Sweating. True, he sweat quite a bit during his training, it was hard to fight off someone triple his size. But this was different. He was sweating more than usual.

Shakiness. He chalked it up to the fatigue.

Pain in the two puncture wounds. He supposed that was a bit more worrying, perhaps it was infected. He would have to visit Ulaz in the medical bay about it.

Antok noticed that something was wrong, of course he did. He was so observant and protective, how could he not?

"Is everything okay, kit?" He asked, stopping his fighting completely. Keith copied his actions.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just felt off for a moment is all. I think I need a water break." He said. Just a moment to sit down and collect himself, and then he would be fine, right?

"Alright. We will break for a few minutes, okay?" Antok said, stepping aside. Keith got a drink of water and sat quietly against the wall, trying to force the feelings away. His torso hurt, as though breathing was a struggle. He really needed to go see Ulaz, he realized. Something was definitely wrong. He stood up and looked over at Antok, whimpering a bit. All he wanted was to lay down and cry. He felt like he was sick again, but this was different. Breathing hurt, and it scared him.

"Antok?" He asked, fighting ti keep the whine out of his voice.

"What is it, kit?" Antok asked, looking over in concern. Keith gulped.

"I need to go see Ulaz. Something's wrong." He said, making a soft whining noise. Antok made his way over and gently shushed him, scooping him up.

"Okay, kit, I will take you to Ulaz." He said, starting to make his way in the direction of the medical bay. Keith really should have taken the stairs into account, the soft bouncing making his stomach twist. He tried to squirm out of Antok's grasp, begging to be put down. He knew himself, he knew the signs that he was going to throw up, and he sure as hell didn't want it to be on Antok.

Antok wasn't letting go, though. Of course he wasn't, they were on the stairs, it was dangerous, he could hit his head. Didn't mean that he couldn't try, though.

Keith clamped a hand over his mouth, his upper body heaving forward with every gag as he tried to shove himself away from Antok. But he held firm, and Keith could only hold back for so ling before his stomach was spilling its contents all over himself and Antok. Keith whimpered, chills wracking his body and sweat dripping down his neck, trembling.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Keith said shakily, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. Antok gently rumbled to him, trying to soothe him even though his arms were full and he couldn't really do anything with them.

"You could not help it, kit, it is okay. We will get you cleaned up and you can rest." He said. He hurried his pace until he entered the medical bay, his eyes scanning for the familiar pale Galra.

"Ulaz." Keith called, his voice slightly shaky and hoarse. Ulaz looked over instantly and hurried over.

"Oh, Keith... what happened?" He asked, taking Keith from Antok and laying him on one of the beds. Yes, there were healing pods, but sometimes all that was needed was some rest, so Ulaz had had beds out in.

"He felt ill during our training. He vomited on the way here." Antok said. Ulaz nodded.

"Can you get Keith a change of clothes?" He asked. Antok nodded and gently ruffled Keith's hair before leaving the room. Ulaz sighed.

"Can you explain what happened?" He asked. Keith was silent for a moment.

"I felt off during training so I took a break. Then I realized that it hurt to breathe and I got scared and I have these cuts on my knee and I think they're infected." Keith said. Ulaz frowned in worry and rolled Keith's pant leg up, his eyes widening at the two puncture wounds.

"Keith, why didn't you immediately tell me you got bit by a hirdun?! I told you they were extremely venomous!" He exclaimed. Keith tilted his head.

"It couldn't have been a hirdun, I didn't feel it go through my suit." Keith said.

"It definitely was. Your human blood is probably the only reason you're alive right now, so you're going to go to the nest while I make an antidote. You should have told me immediately." Ulaz said. He knew he was being harsh, but he was so worried about Keith. He looked so weak, and he had thought he was fine. 

Keith whimpered, his eyes filling with tears. He only wanted to stay with Ulaz. Was Ulaz mad at him?

"Please do not cry, I am not angry at you. I was just worried, okay?" Ulaz said. Keith nodded and scrubbed at his eyes. Just then, Antok came in, dressed in different clothes and holding a change of clothes for Keith, with Thace and Kolivan following him.

Ulaz smiled and handed Keith the clothes, pulling the curtain around the bed to give him some privacy while he changed. 

"What is wrong? Antok said that Keith was ill." Thace said, his ears pinned back slightly in worry. Ulaz sighed a bit.

"Keith was bitten by a hirdun and didn't think to tell anyone." Ulaz said, not fighting to keep the irritation out of his voice. Kolivan frowned.

"Why didn't he tell anyone? He would have been dead by now if he was fully Galra." Kolivan said, smiling when Keith pulled back and curtain after getting dressed.

"I will get the antidote ready, can you three take him to the nest?" Ulaz asked. Antok nodded and lifted him up, cooing softly to Keith when he squirmed a bit to get comfortable. Keith was tired and he just wanted his pack. He wanted Ulaz to come with them, but he knew that Ulaz was getting the antidote to the venom. He was going to make it better, but it didn't change the fact that he was upset by it.

Antok carried him to the nest, laying him down. The other three sat down around him. Kolivan was the first to speak.

"We seriously need to have a talk about this reckless behavior of yours." He said. "You can not ignore something that you discover after missions. It could be extremely serious, like this bite. That being said, we know that you are used to fending for yourself, but that does not mean you have to. Even if we are not available, anyone here would have been willing to take you to the medical bay." He continued. Keith sighed a bit.

"Yeah, I know. I honestly didn't think it was a big deal." Keith said, curling close to Kolivan. Kolivan sighed and gently groomed him, cleaning him up.

"Yes, but you must understand that you are not alone anymore." Kolivan said. Keith grinned and hugged him.

"I like the sound of that." He said, looking over when he heard Ulaz enter the room. Ulaz smiled at him and sat down.

"Alright, Keith, I am going to need you to give me your arm so I can give you this injection." Ulaz said, holding up a syringe. It looked exactly like a human one, but that didn't stop Keith from recoiling.

"Injection?" His voice was small, fearful. He was trying to hide behind Antok, which worried Ulaz.

"Yes, an injection. It will just be a tiny prick, nothing more." He tried to soothe. Keith shook his head.

"Can't I take it as a pill?" Keith asked. Ulaz shook his head.

"Sorry, kit, it has to be injected into your bloodstream." He explained. Keith shook his head rapidly, jerking his arm away from Ulaz when he tried to grab it. 

"No! It'll hurt!" He yelped. Ulaz frowned and set the syringe aside.

"Kit, I promise it won't hurt. Why would you think it would hurt?" Ulaz asked, worried.

"They always hurt when I had to get shots for school." Keith said, cowering away fron the syringe. "I don't like needles." Ulaz nodded.

"I promise that it won't hurt. And if it does, we can fix it, okay?" Ulaz said, trying to calm him down. Keith shook his head again.

"I don't want to."

Ulaz had no idea what to do. He knew that Keith needed the injection, but the other three Galra were curled around him protectively. It would take a bit of coaxing to get them to ease up.

He wanted nothing more than to accept Keith's decision. But he knew he couldn't do that when he saw Keith leaning weakly against Thace, gripping at his fur and whispering about how it hurt to breathe. The venom attacked the lungs. That's why it hurt to breathe.

He reached forward and sighed. "Kit, I know its unpleasant, but you have to do it. Its just one little prick and a little of sting." He said. He'd seen Keith take stab wounds and broken bones and still try to fight, but he was afraid of needles? Really?

Instead of responding, Keith let out a high-pitched mewl, a purely Galra sound that conveyed his distress over a situation. Thace tightened his grip around Keith, determined now to not let his go. Antok wrapped his tail around Keith, letting his bat gently at it to distract him. Kolivan was disturbed by the sound, but he knew what Ulaz was saying was true.

"Kit, you have to. It would make you feel better. We will be with you and you can lay down for as long as you want." He said. He suddenly got an idea and whispered something to Ulaz, who immediately perked up.

"That is a good idea. Kit, how would you feel about a local anesthetic? Galra have small pads that will numb the area, you will not feel anything at all." He said. Keith hesitated a bit before nodding. That seemed like a good solution. Ulaz left the room, going to grab the anesthetic.

He came back a few minutes later, holding Keith's arm gently and rolling up his sleeve. Thace whimpered a bit, concerned for Keith. Antok gently shushed him, nuzzling his ears.

"If you close your eyes it'll hurt less. Your eyes see more pain than there actually is." Kolivan said, unable to sit by and watch Keith tremble at the sight of a needle. He hated watching it. 

Ulaz nodded and smiled, applying the anesthetic pad and waiting for Keith to close his eyes before giving him the injection. Afterwards, all four of the Galra gathered around him, trying to shield him from anything that could hurt him while he trembled. 

Thace smiled and wrapped Keith in a blanket. Their fur only did so much, Keith didn't have fur. It was probably so cold on the base for him. He'd have to look into that.

Antok sat down and patted Keith's head, setting a pillow under it.

Kolivan help him settled down in the nest, teaching him how to manipulate the blankets and pillows into a small divot to sleep in. 

Ulaz cleaned up and sat down, looking at Keith. "That was very brave of you, kit. You did a good job." He said. Keith looked up at him in confusion.

"Brave? How was that brave?"

"Of course it was brave, kit. You were scared of needles and yet you let Ulaz give you the injection." Thace said, humming. 

"But still, that isn't brave."

"Keith, what is your definition of brave?" Antok asked.

"I guess its like... doing something that benefits others that could hurt you."

"Keith, bravery does not have to be a big act. Facing your fears is a small act of bravery, if a personal one." Kolivan said.

Keith grinned up at the four Galra, letting out an impatient mewl, wanting them to lay with him. They complied immediately, making themselves comfortable around Keith.

If this is what these noises did to the Galra, maybe they weren't so bad after all. Now he wouldn't have to voice his want to cuddle. They would just know.

He added it to the list of things he absolutely loved about his Galra blood and pack.


End file.
